Power Rangers: Children of Destiny
by Robertmurrin
Summary: A new, more mature reinterpretation of the PR legacy. Lord Zedd comes to Earth searching for what is rightfully his . . . The Power Coins. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Someone else does, but not me. No profit is being made from this story. It's all just in fun!_

_(Author's note: My first fan fic ever! Hope you enjoy it. If you do (or even if you don't) please leave some feedback. I know you know how._

**Chapter One**

A huge surge of electrical energy briefly lit up the otherwise dim room, and then converged on a central location, a large cylindrical crystal. This surge of energy caused a radical change in its environment; ancient computer systems began to boot up, the mainframes flashing a multitude of colored lights as they were reawakened, overhead lights cast their luminescent glow for the first time in ages, and finally, a large spherical screen lit up in the corner of the chamber.

This activity did not go unnoticed by the three foot tall android standing in the center of the room. It understood exactly what this all meant, and did not even need the words of its longtime friend to confirm this knowledge.

"Alpha, Lord Zedd is free."

"Yes Zordon, Alpha said in a high pitched mechanical voice. "Initiating program hunter-one."

Zordon's face, holographically projected inside the crystal cylinder, was grim and emotionless. Alpha felt (as much as an android _can_ feel) much the same way Zordon looked, his shiny disk-shaped head angled to the floor in what could only be described as depression. They knew what was coming, now all they had to do was wait.

The last drop of blood hit the floor with a near silent splash, and was instantly assimilated into the larger pool it had fallen into. He wanted to cry, _needed_ to cry, but for some reason he could not bring himself to do so. His deductive mind tried to understand the reason for his apathy, but it seemed it was beyond even him.

"_I must look into this problem when I return home today," _He thought to himself._ "Perhaps I could --_" his thoughts were cut short by the sight of Jason and Zack, two of the very few people he could consider friends. Whether they felt the same way about him was unknown, but it didn't matter. They had always been nice to him, and _that _is what mattered. Unfortunately for him, Jason and Zack were part of the 'in-crowd,' and as such, associated primarily with others in that same group. Unfortunately, that made their friends _his_ enemies. And also unfortunately for him, Jason and Zack happened to be walking straight toward him with their friend Richard, who had a reputation for picking on people smaller and weaker than him.

Trying to avoid a confrontation with Richard, Billy moved quickly to hide behind a garbage can, and could only hope that he hadn't been seen.

"Billy!" he heard someone shout. In preparation or possibly even in fear, Billy shut his eyes tight, under the childish assumption that if he couldn't see Richard, Richard couldn't see him. "Billy, are you all right man?" that was definitely not Richard. Billy opened his eyes and to his surprise saw Jason and Zack standing before him with concerned looks on their faces.

Billy, confused by his own actions once again, did not respond right away. _"It seems that the presence of fear somehow causes one to expect the worst of a situation, though it may not necessarily be the case. What interesting behavior. I must find a way to study this later."_ Billy thought to himself. "Yes Jason, I am quite alright." he finally answered.

"You don't look alright. What happened?" Zack asked

"The little nerd probably tripped over his own shoelace," that was Richard, who was standing a few feet behind Jason and Zack, obviously not concerned with Billy's well being.

"Back off Richard," Jason said with anger in his voice. Richard did as he was told, not wanting to piss off Jason. Though he was only twelve years old, Jason had the physical appearance of a well built sixteen year old, which could cause him to be quite intimidating at times. "Seriously Billy, what happened?" Jason asked, his voice changing from harsh and angry to calm and caring almost immediately.

Again, Billy took his time in responding to the question, trying to come up with a good reason for why his nose was bleeding so profusely. Ultimately, he decided that it was best not to lie, especially to Jason and Zack, who were the only two people nice enough to talk to him. "I'm afraid that Farkus and Eugene approached me yet again, and requested that I relinquish my lunch money. When I refused, I was subjected to a violent shove, and due to my momentary loss of balance, my face came into direct contact with the floor. Unfortunately, they managed to purloin my funds while I was down."

"God I've had it with those two!" Jason exclaimed. "I'm gonna find them and teach them a lesson!"

"Jason, I implore you, do not involve yourself in my affairs. I'm afraid that if you were to confront them, they would, as a result, take their anger out on me." Billy explained. "And I am loathe to physical punishment."

"Then how about this," Jason started, "From now on you hang out with me and my friends. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again. I'll protect you."

"That is very kind of you Jason," Billy began, "But I sincerely doubt your friends would appreciate my presence." Billy took another glance at Richard who was still not far away.

"Billy, _my_ friends don't judge people the way others do. They will accept you for who you are, and eventually become your friends too."

"That's right," Zack said, "So what do you say?"

With only a moments hesitation, Billy replied, "I accept."

After helping Billy get cleaned up, the three young boys walked side by side down the hallway to meet up with Jason and Zack's friends, while Richard tried to catch up to them from behind.

ONE WEEK LATER:

Billy walked into the cafeteria and, out of habit, began proceeding to the corner of the room where he usually sat and ate alone, but quickly remembered that was not his place anymore. He had friends now, four friends to be exact, and as such, he no longer ate lunch alone.

Billy was still amazed that he had been accepted into the tightly knit group of friends. Ever since Jason had introduced the others to him, he had gained a new sense of belonging. Everything just fit together. He did not feel awkward or uncomfortable around his new friends, and he suspected that they did not either.

Kimberly Hart, one of his new friends, was a cheerleader, and was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever met. Billy had never even considered the fact that he could become friends with someone like Kimberly, mostly because cheerleaders tended to be nasty and superficial, and those were not qualities he was looking for in a friend, but also because he never thought that a beautiful girl would even want to be his friend. Of course, Kimberly was neither nasty nor superficial, and she apparently did want to be his friend.

"_It is interesting how preconceived notions can be proven wrong even if they are conceived by one of high intelligence_," Billy thought to himself. _"I must remember not to judge people based on outdated stereotypes."_

Trini Kwan, another one of his new friends, was not a cheerleader like Kimberly, but she was still athletic. Trini participated on the school's girls volleyball team, and was voted MVP by her teammates. She was almost as beautiful as Kimberly, her Asian features making her look rather exotic, according to Billy. Interestingly, Billy had recently learned that Trini was also learning Kung Fu from her grandfather, who was something of a Kung Fu master.

Then there was Zack, the crazy black man, as he called himself. Zack was definitely the jokester of the group, but that did not mean he couldn't be serious if he needed to be. He was a real stand up guy; he was always there to cheer up his friends whenever they were feeling down. Aside from being a dancer, Zack was also the star player of the school basketball team.

Out of all his friends, Billy felt closest to Jason. Maybe it was because he was so big and strong and confident, everything Billy was not. Billy was surprised to discover that Jason was not involved in any school sports, as athletic as he was. He apparently spent most of his free time studying Karate, and had recently been promoted to red belt, though Billy had no idea what that meant.

"Hey Billy, what's happenin' man?" Zack asked as Billy approached the table.

"Nothin' much, just chillin'" Billy replied in his newly learned dialect, which elicited a laugh from Trini.

"I'm sorry Billy," Trini apologized, "But that sounded really forced."

"Leave the man be," Zack said, "He's almost got the hang of it."

"Actually Trini is correct. It took me a moment to convert my normal speak into the format you have taught me, and I doubt that the process will become any easier with the passage of time. No offense Zack, but I believe I will leave the slang terminology to you."

"All right man, it's not for everybody. No harm done." Zack said with a smile.

"Whew, anyone else glad it's lunch time?" Jason asked as he sat down with a tray full of unattractive cafeteria food.

"Ugh, are you kidding me? How could anyone look forward to eating something that is barely edible?" Kimberly asked while poking a wad of meat with a straw.

"Come on Kim, it's not that bad," Jason said through a mouthful of food.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Kim exclaimed. "So Zack, basketball's finally over now huh?" Kimberly asked, changing the subject.

"Yes it is and I could not be any happier."

"I thought you enjoyed basketball?" Billy asked.

"Oh yeah I do, it's just, now that it's over I finally have a bunch of free time to do other stuff. I was thinking about maybe joining Jason's karate class."

"All right my man!" Jason exclaimed. "It's about time."

"Zack that's great! You know, martial arts is a great way to discipline yourself and learn respect." Trini informed him.

"I know, I'm really looking forward to it. Hey Billy, why don't you join me? It doesn't cost that much and it could really benefit you to know how to defend yourself." Zack's statement was not meant as an insult, but was based entirely on observation. It was because of this sometimes brutal honesty that Billy had come to respect Zack, though the fact that Billy couldn't defend himself at all was a little damaging to his self respect. But Billy knew that Zack meant no harm.

"As enticing as the prospect of learning self defense may sound, I'm afraid I must decline. Physical activity is not something I enjoy, though I understand the benefits it might provide. Given my rather awkward and uncoordinated bearing, I would most surely appear incompetent. I would very much like to avoid that."

"What did he say?" Zack asked Trini, who seemed to be the only one who could understand Billy when he made use of his extended vocabulary.

"He said he doesn't want to look foolish."

"Ah, I see. That's alright man, I understand. What about you Kim, you wanna learn how to throw some punches?"

"I don't think so Zack, that stuff is too brutal for me."

"Aw man, so now I'm gonna have to practice alone?"

"I'll practice with you Zack," Jason said.

"Yeah, but I wanted to practice with someone I have a chance of beating." Zack stated.

"I'll go easy on you."

"Oh yeah, great way to boost my confidence Jase."

It looked as if Jason was about to say something, but he was cut off by the flashing of a bright light in the center of the cafeteria.

"Alpha, did the time distortion cell work?"

"I don't know, Zordon. The viewing globe's wiring has short circuited. We have no video link."

"Can you repair it?"

"It would take too long. If the time distortion cell worked, the effect it had will have ended before completion of the repairs."

"Then we must have faith that it worked," Zordon stated simply. "Prepare for teleportation."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha said as he shuffled over to a computer console and began pressing buttons.

"What was that?" Kim asked, startled by the blinding flash of light

"Whatever it was," Billy started, "It seems to have caused a disruption in the flow of time."

Upon inspection, the other four preteens came to the same conclusion as Billy. Their fellow classmates seemed to be frozen in whatever position they had been in before the light had flashed. In a strange and unsettling way, the scene was absurdly humorous.

"I don't understand, how did this happen?" Trini asked after a quick glance around.

"I must admit it is most perplexing. Whatever the cause, it seems to allow the laws of physics to be completely negated." Billy stated. He was right. A piece of food that had fallen off of someone's fork seemed to be miraculously floating in mid-air, obviously not being affected by gravity.

"The question we should be asking," Jason said, "Is why aren't we affected by this?"

This thought had obviously not been considered by the other four, as their eyes took on a distant quality. Thoughts immediately began pouring into their heads: What if they were stuck like this forever, being able to move around while everyone else in the world was frozen in their current position? How would they survive without anyone to help them? What if everyone snapped out of it twenty years from now? How would they explain their seemingly instant aging?

Before anything more could be said, the five friends were suddenly whisked away, traveling in bright columns of white light heading toward the mountains, and also toward the answer to Jason's question.


	2. Unschuld

_Disclaimer: Look at the first chapter or my profile for disclaimer!_

_(Author's note: Sorry for the wait. I've been deterred from writing lately (in this language anyway. Stupid German class!), but I do appreciate the positive reviews. Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming.)_

**Unschuld**

Five columns of white light quickly made their way to a large building high in the mountains, and then entered the construct via a vertical cylinder with an entrance at the top. After touching down lightly inside the dimly lit chamber, the five preteens stared at each other in silence, taking in their surroundings.

"This day just keeps on getting weirder and weirder," Zack said while staring at the large crystal column in front of him.

"What I want to know is where we are and just how the hell we got here," Kimberly said.

"Well, it seems as though we were de-molecularized, transported over a vast area of land, and then re-molecularized at our current position." stated Billy.

"And that would mean . . . ?"

"Simply teleportation," Billy said, "Though I must confess that the term does seem to be a bit of an oxymoron."

"Okay, so that explains how we got here, but we still don't know exactly where here _is_." said Trini. "What do you think Jason, any ideas?"

Jason was staring intently at the high-tech computer consoles, seemingly in a trance, and didn't respond to Trini's question.

"Jason!"

"Huh? What?" Jason asked, broken from his trance.

"I asked if you had any ideas."

"Uh, well, look at this equipment. This is some pretty heavy-duty stuff. My guess is that we're in some sort of military base."

"That is highly unlikely," Billy said, "These consoles are much more advanced than anything our government currently possesses."

"So what then, aliens?" Zack asked jokingly.

"You are not very far off." a loud, booming voice said.

All five friends jumped simultaneously to the sound of the voice, and quickly stared up at the large crystal column, which now featured a giant floating head.

"What the _hell_ are you?" Kimberly asked with tears in her eyes from the fright.

"Please control your anger, I do not mean any harm. My name is Zordon, and I am from the planet Eltar."

"You're an alien?" Zack asked, more than a little shocked.

"I suppose that term does best describe me, yes I am indeed an alien."

"Why are we here? What is this place? Why are _you_ here?" asked a near hysterical Jason.

"I have brought you here because the earth is in terrible danger, and you five have been chosen to defend it."

"Danger from what?" Jason asked, somewhat more calm and collected than before.

"The five of you must listen closely, for the story I am about to tell you has never been heard by human ears. Twelve thousand years ago there existed a planet known as Eltar, my home planet. Eltar was a peaceful and prosperous planet, and this was due mostly to a collection of coins, known as the Power Coins. Legend has it that these coins were created by the first settlers of Eltar known as the high sages, and were powered by the spirits of their gods. These coins transformed the barren lands of Eltar into a bountiful, beautiful utopia. The coins provided everything for the inhabitants of Eltar. Food was never scarce, hunger was virtually unknown, there was no war, no poverty, and no greed.

"Sounds wonderful," Kimberly said.

"It was," Zordon continued, "for a while. But about eighteen thousand years ago, one of Eltar's most sacred laws was broken. An Eltarian child was conceived and born outside of Eltar, and was thus endowed with all the impurities of non-Eltarian races. His name was Zedd. Zedd was not born evil, but he held the potential to become evil without the influence of the power coins. Normally the High Council of Eltar would not have allowed such a child to be brought into Eltar, but certain conditions allowed this to happen.

"What conditions would that be?" asked Billy

"Zedd was the child of a high-ranking council member, and was thus allowed to live on Eltar. For a few thousand years everything seemed fine, but eventually Zedd succumbed to an emotion felt only by non-purified races, greed. Zedd desired nothing more than power, and the greatest source of power on Eltar was, of course, the Power Coins. Being Zedd's closest and only friend, he confided in me his desire in hopes that I would join him in his quest. When I refused, Zedd tried to kill me, and he would have succeeded, if not for my training in the art of healing. During the time it took me to heal, Zedd killed all the members of the High Council and managed to break into the sacred Metamorphosis Chamber, where the Power coins were kept. He exited the room with the coins, and it was there that I confronted him. We battled for hours, but I eventually emerged the victor.

"You got the Power Coins?" asked Zack.

"I did, but I knew they would no longer be safe on Eltar. Unfortunately, the absence of the Power Coins caused Eltar to revert back to its state of barrenness, and the whole civilization died. I fled the planet with the five coins I retrieved, and sought refuge on the planet Aquitar. But Zedd followed me. He amassed a colossal army with four appointed generals, Zeltrax, Goldar, Ecliptor, and Darkonda, and thus called himself Lord Zedd. Aquitar was attacked, and if it were not for a group of Aquitian heroes, it would most surely have been destroyed. Again, I fled, and again, Zedd followed. We continued in this manner for a few thousand years, but we eventually grew old. The life span of an Eltarian is only about ten thousand years, so drastic measures had to be taken by both Zedd and myself. While I chose to dispose of my physical body and enter a dimension in which time does not exist, Zedd, with his knowledge of magic, possessed the body of an Elemental, a being which is essentially immortal. The Elemental's spirit died, and with Zedd as the body's new host, his body began to deform and deteriorate. With the support of magic and a metal exoskeleton, Zedd managed to maintain his host body.

"So wait, if you went into another dimension, how are you still here?" Kimberly asked.

"The way you see me now is just a physical representation of my spirit form, which is held in contact with this dimension by the crystal cylinder you see before you. Anyway, seeing as I was no longer a resident of this existence, I was forced to find a permanent place of residence, and I chose earth mainly because civilization was relatively new to this planet, and I figured that it would be around long enough to finally defeat Zedd. I chose five earth warriors and bestowed upon them the power of the Power Coins, and they became know as the Power Rangers. With this new team I was certain that we could defeat Lord Zedd."

"But you didn't, did you?" Jason asked.

"I thought we did. We managed to lock Zedd and his minions away in a parallel dimension similar to the one which I currently inhabit, and all was well for a while. Earlier this morning, however, Lord Zedd was freed from his dimension by a cult group known as the Scepter of Zedd."

"And let me guess, he's coming here?" Zack asked.

"He is."

"And you want us to protect the world?"

"Yes."

"You know, I don't know if you've noticed," Kimberly said, "But we're just a bunch of kids. We're only twelve years old and you want us to fight a being as powerful as Lord Zedd? I don't think that's gonna work."

"You misunderstand me. Zedd is indeed coming to earth, but he will not arrive any time soon. We have estimated that it will take no less than ten years for Zedd to recreate his armies and re-energize himself. There is still time to prepare."

"What do you mean _we_? You look pretty much alone in here." Trini said.

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing you sooner. Please meet Alpha 5, my artificially intelligent robotic assistant." The short android entered the main chamber from a door hidden from view behind Zordon's crystal tube.

"Pleased to meet you all," the small robot said.

"No way! An fully articulate, multi functional automaton!" Billy exclaimed while examining Alpha.

"Uh, excuse me, I have a question." Zack said. "Why did you choose _us _to save the world? I mean, there's got to be plenty of other people out there who are way more qualified for this than us."

"I am surprised you would even ask such a question, Zack. Is it not obvious? The five of you all possess unique qualities that will only benefit you as a team, and though you are young, you have all experienced much in your lifetimes." The five friends all looked down in embarrassment. They _had_ all experienced much, though they had never confided in each other about these experiences.

"Experience and teamwork are the two most important aspects of a team. However, another important aspect is closeness. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but you all must remain together until Zedd is defeated. You will need to sacrifice much, but remaining friends and staying together is imperative. Without the close bonds that you all share now, you will never make it as a team. Remember my words, because this is of utmost importance."

"Plus the fact that you have accepted all of this information without question leads me to believe you are more than qualified for this task." Alpha said.

"You trying to tell us something Alpha?" Zack asked only half jokingly. "Like maybe we shouldn't believe what Zordon is telling us?"

"It would be unwise not to believe me." Zordon said. "Lord Zedd is coming, and only you five can stop him. If you need further reassurance, know that due to the Power Coins, Eltarians are incapable of lying."

"Zack was just joking Zordon. We all believe you." Trini said.

"That is good. I am afraid that we must now part. The time distortion cell will be losing it's effect soon."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that whole time-stopping problem." Kimberly said. "That sure explains a lot."

"One more thing before you depart," Zordon began, "Do not tell anyone about our meeting. Though I doubt anyone would believe you, it would not be wise to inform anyone about earth's current situation."

"You got it Zordon," Jason said.

"Goodbye Zordon." Billy said.

"Yeah, see ya in about ten years." Zack joked.

"Farewell Rangers." Zordon stated. In a flash of white light all five pre teens were gone, whisked away back to their school cafeteria.

"Zordon," Alpha began after the five friends had left, "You lied to them. You told them there were only five Power Coins."

"I did no such thing Alpha. You know as well as I do that I am incapable of lying. I simply hid part of the truth from them, let them believe what they wanted to believe. Trust me Alpha, it was all for the best."

"I hope you're right."


	3. Beginnings

Disclaimer: I'm tired of typing things for the disclaimer, so just look at the first chapter.

(Author's Note: I really, **really** want to write this story, but it just isn't enough. I need to know that there are people out there who want to read it, so please, **please** review. No reviews leads to no story, which leads to the disappointment of those who are reading and myself. So come on, review. You know you want to.)

-x-

**Beginnings**

There was a flash of green electricity and two beings were instantly standing where there was nothing before. The two beings were human, or at least they looked human, and for the most part they looked identical. They were both tall, muscular, attractive men with bright green eyes and jet black hair. They were both dressed in loose fitting blue jeans and tight black shirts, which added to their human appearance. The only difference between the two was their hair. Though they both had the same color hair, one's was almost shoulder length, while the other's was cut quite short and spiked straight up.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then cracked two sinister looking smiles before walking into the large white building in front of them.

-x-

"Wow, what a waste of my time," Billy thought to himself. He had just taken the final exam for his Advanced Physics of Light course and had finished it in less than fifteen minutes. "Why am I here? I could have gone to any college I wanted to, and yet I decided to go to Angel Grove Community College. It's almost not worth it."

"_You could have gone somewhere else,_" a voice in his mind said, _"But would you have been as happy as you are now?"_

"I'm only happy because I'm with my friends," he said to the voice. "At this rate I will never make anything out of my life."

"_Your sacrifice is for the greater good. Remember the promise."_ Not for the first time Billy regretted having his high intelligence. It seemed he could always contradict himself and convince himself that he was doing the right thing. Even though doing the right thing sometimes hurt him, he never backed down from a promise. Never.

"Still, it would be nice to challenge myself intellectually once in a while," Billy thought. "Oh well. Wonder if everyone's at the Youth Center yet? That test took me a little bit longer than I thought it would."

Billy walked through the double doors that led to the Youth Center/Juice Bar and instantly spotted his four friends practicing their martial arts with each other.

"Ever the outcast," Billy thought sarcastically. "Hope Zack will have enough energy left for me, though." Billy stood to the side of the floor mats waiting for his friends to finish up sparring so he could have his turn.

"Hey Billy, how was the exam?" Trini asked after her and Kim had finished up.

"Piece of cake," Billy said with a smile.

"You know, Billy, I've known you for over eight years and yet you never cease to amaze me," Kim told him.

"What can I say? I have a way with physics."

"Yeah, and math, and language, and everything else."

"Well, I'm sure there are people here who are much smarter than me," Billy said modestly.

"The only thing you _do _have trouble with Billy," Trini began, "Is knowing how to accept a compliment." Trini said this with a smile that caused Billy's heart to race. She always seemed to be able to do that to him.

"Yeah you're probably right."

"Hey Billy man, how's it goin'" Zack asked while wiping some sweat off of his face.

"Pretty good. You up for sparring? Or are you too tired?"

"Ha ha very funny smart guy. Let's do it."

The two young men walked on to one of the now empty mats and took their individual fighting stances. After a moment Zack rushed Billy and began throwing kicks and punches, which Billy blocked with ease.

"Billy's really gotten good," Kimberly said.

"Yeah his defense is great," Jason said, "But he still needs to focus more on his offense. Unfortunately you can't win a fight by just blocking."

"I thought you've been working with him on that?" Trini asked.

"I have, and he's really improved, but he still tries to avoid going on the offensive unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't know why."

Billy and Zack circled each other a few times, Billy in his defensive stance and Zack taking the offensive. Zack rushed Billy again and executed a perfect spinning heel kick. Billy ducked under Zack's leg, and when Zack landed on his feet again, Billy quickly kicked his legs out from under him, causing Zack to land flat on his back.

"Oh man. I must be getting tired or something," Zack said.

"Yeah, that must be it," Billy replied with a smile.

"Yeah, keep smiling brainiac," Zack said jokingly. "That was a lucky shot."

"You want to go again?" Billy asked.

"No I think I'm done."

"Hey Billy, nice work man," Jason said. "Looks like you're finally getting used to the offensive attacks I showed you."

"Yeah, I've been practicing quite a bit," Billy replied.

Jason was about to say something more, but a sharp buzzing sensation in the back of his brain caused him to stop.

"Oh man," Jason said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Jason, are you all right?" Kimberly asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy. I must have overexerted myself or something. I'm gonna step outside for a few minutes."

"Hey we'll join you," Zack said, "I could use a little fresh air myself.

The five friends exited the juice bar and found a nice shaded area in the park not too far away.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Trini asked Jason.

"Yeah, now that we're out of there I feel fi-" Jason's words were cut off as all five friends were teleported away in streaks of white light.

-x-

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The woman at the front desk asked.

"My brother and I must speak with the president," the man with the long hair stated.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not authorized to set up meetings with the president. If you would like, I can direct you to -"

"We do not wish to set up a meeting with the president," the man with the short hair interrupted, "We simply wish to speak with him."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you," the woman said, slightly annoyed at being so rudely interrupted.

"Then deliver to him a message. Can you do that?" the long haired man asked.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Inform him that Lord Zedd has arrived. His plan is to conquer the earth and take back what is rightfully his. Tell him that this country _will _be overthrown and it will make it easier on both parties if he does not prepare a defense. Either way, this country, this planet, will fall. Lord Zedd will not hesitate to kill any who oppose. Consider this fair warning."

That having been said, the two men turned around and made their way to the exit. The woman at the desk stared at them hypnotically for a second, and then quickly shook her head to clear her mind. She had to stop them before they left, and she took the first action to come to her head.

"Guards, stop those two men!" she shouted at two security guards standing a few feet away while pointing at the two strangers.

The guards ran quickly to where the two men were walking, and were unprepared for what happened next. In a bright flash of green light, the two men were transformed from their human appearances into two strange, but deadly looking creatures. The man with the long hair became almost entirely black, with thick armor wrapped around his chest arms, and legs. His facial features completely melted away, leaving a large gray circle embedded in the top his head and a gray rectangular shape where his mouth used to be, while the top of his head split around the circle, forming two points aiming up at an angle from the back of his head.

The man with the short hair also became entirely black, however, a green grid pattern appeared all over his body. His face and spiky hair remained, but they seemed to solidify like a statue, and his eyes became a glowing red. He, like the other man, became heavily armored, and looked very dangerous.

The two security guards were stunned and did not move. The two black-clad warriors lifted their newly formed swords high in the air, and simultaneously brought them down with enough force to slice through concrete. In one swift move, the warriors cleanly decapitated the two guards, sending the rest of the room into panic. They looked at each other, would have smiled if they could, and walked out of the White House.

With all the commotion, no one noticed as Zeltrax and Ecliptor teleported away.

-x-

The flash of light dissipated as quickly as it came, leaving the five friends standing in the middle of the Command Center with somewhat puzzled looks on their faces.

"Welcome back to the Command Center," Zordon's booming voice declared.

"Z-Zordon?" Zack asked, testing his memory.

"Yes Zack."

"What are we doing here?" Jason asked demandingly.

"I am afraid Alpha and I made a terrible mistake. We seriously misjudged the amount of time it would take Lord Zedd to regroup. If you recall, I informed you that it would take no less than ten years for Zedd to launch his attack on earth, when it has actually taken him less than eight. I am sorry, but we must act now. Lord Zedd has already dispatched two of his generals, Zeltrax and Ecliptor, to earth. They created a disturbance in the White House and sadly, two lives were lost."

"Why would Zedd send them to the White House?" Trini asked.

"Our assumption is that he wanted to convince your president to stand down and allow Zedd to have free reign over the country. Not that it would matter anyway; Zedd could kill them all with but a blink of an eye," Alpha explained.

"I am afraid Washington DC was not the only place Zedd has sent his generals," Zordon said, "They have also been sighted in various other capitals throughout the world, all resulting in similar consequences."

"We have to stop them," Jason said, "What can we do?"

"The time has come for you all to accept the power of the Power Coins and become Power Rangers. Are you ready?" Zordon asked.

"Yes," came the unanimous reply.

"Zack, you will be given the Mastodon Power Coin and the power of the Black Ranger. Kimberly, you shall receive the Pterodactyl Power Coin and the power of the Pink Ranger. Billy, the Triceratops Power Coin is yours, and with it comes the power of the Blue Ranger. Trini, yours is the Saber-Tooth Tiger Power Coin and the power of the Yellow Ranger. And lastly, Jason. Your Power Coin is the Tyrannosaurus coin, and you shall be the Red Ranger and leader of the team."

"Thank you Zordon, for trusting us with these," Jason said.

"Think nothing of it. After all, it is _your_ planet you are protecting," came Zordon's reply. "Fortunately, Zedd's forces have already been called back to his base, so there is no need for you to go into battle just yet. I think it would be a good idea, however, to inform Lord Zedd that the Power Rangers are back in action."

"But what good would that do?" Zack asked.

"I suppose there is a slim chance that this information might actually scare Zedd away," Billy explained, "But from what I understand, it is not very likely."

"But we must try," Alpha added.

"Jason, as the active leader of the team, you are the one who must narrate the message," Zordon said.

"Let's do it," Jason responded enthusiastically.

"You must first use the power of the Power Coins to morph into your Power Ranger uniforms."

"How?"

"Alpha will now give you your power morphers. To morph, simply insert your Power Coin into the morpher, raise it to the sky, and shout the name of your respective Eltarian god."

The Rangers quietly inserted their coins into the morphers that Alpha had given them and then waited for Jason's command.

"Ready guys?" Jason asked his friends. When his question was met with nods he shouted, "It's morphin' time!"

"Mastodon!" Zack shouted.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly yelled.

"Triceratops!" Billy exclaimed.

"Saber-Tooth Tiger!" Trini yelled.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason finally replied.

The five Rangers stood there completely decked out in their uniforms, which consisted of a body suit that resembled armored tights and a full helmet that depicted their respective dinosaurs, in awe.

Zordon spoke up after a moment. "Red Ranger, you must deliver the message. Alpha has already prepared the recording device. When you are ready, look into the viewing globe behind you and speak."

Jason stared intently at the viewing globe, his four teammates standing behind him in a "V" formation, and gathered his thoughts. He knew very little about Lord Zedd and his army and he didn't want his ignorance to show. He chose his words very carefully.

"Lord Zedd, we are the Power Rangers, protectors of earth. We know you come here with plans of conquest, and we wish to inform you that we will be here, ready to fight you whenever you choose to attack. We advise you to stand down and retreat, for if you decide to fight us, we _will_ emerge victorious." With that, Jason ended his message while Alpha hit a few commands on one of the computer consoles to send it to Lord Zedd.

"Nice job Jase!" Zack said while patting Jason on the back.

"Thanks. I just hope I didn't sound too stupid."

"Are you kidding? You were great," Kimberly exclaimed.

"Hey Zordon, how do we get out of these uniforms?" Trini asked.

"Give the command 'Power Down' and you will be instantly de-morphed," Zordon explained.

"Power down!" the five Rangers said in unison. With a quick flash of their respective colors, the Ranger's uniforms completely dematerialized.

"You did very well Jason," Zordon said, "I can see you will be a wonderful leader."

"Thanks," was all Jason could say, obviously embarrassed by Zordon's statement.

"Hey Zordon, I've got a question," Zack said, "I thought you said that the Power Coins were powered by the spirits of the Eltarian gods?"

"They are." Zordon stated confusedly.

"So, the Eltarians worshipped dinosaurs?"

-x-

(Yet another authors note: I have a difficult decision to make. I have been a fan of Power Rangers for years, and I always loved the idea that they could fly around in huge robotic zords, but I want this fic to be as realistic as possible, and gigantic maneuverable machines are not exactly realistic. So I need some advice. There are three options.

Option 1: include the zords for a while, and then have them get destroyed or something.

Option 2: include the zords but have them be some kind of robotic armor.

Option 3: don't include the zords at all.

Please let me know what you think in your reviews or give me an email. And no, including the zords full time is not an option. Please remember to review regardless. Until next time!)


	4. Chapter 4

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

It was strange hearing Lord Zedd laugh. Sure he was subject to the occasional fits of laughter befitting any maniacal warlord, but this was different. His laughter now was genuine, brought on by something he obviously found humorous. It calmed Finster a little, but only for a moment. Lord Zedd was somehow scarier while in a good mood than he was during one of his trademark fits of rage. Finster could barely bring himself to speak. "My lord, have you viewed the message?"

"Indeed I have Finster," Lord Zedd replied, "Ha! Can you believe their audacity? It was a warning Finster, a warning! They suggested I leave earth lest I be destroyed. I am Lord Zedd, conqueror of galaxies. They are but children, specks of dust on a miserable little planet not even worth my attention."

"Might I ask by whom the message was sent?"

"I believe they referred to themselves as the Power Rangers. Just another of Zordon's poorly devised attempts at protecting the Power Coins."

"With all due respect my lord, do you think it wise to underestimate Zordon? The power of the coins is mighty, and Zordon is a formidable adversary," the white, elfish creature stated.

"You are only half right Finster," Lord Zedd replied, "Zordon may hold the keys to my destruction, but he has entrusted their power to beings whose minds possess neither the capacity nor the desire to comprehend their nature. Rest assured Zordon will fail. It is as inevitable as the dying of a star."

"I'm sure you are correct, my lord," was Finster's reply. He thought about reminding Lord Zedd that the last time he faced Zordon and his Power Rangers he had been locked away for nearly ten thousand years, but decided against it. Zedd was in a good mood and Finster did not want to be the one to change that.

"Of course I am," Lord Zedd exclaimed almost cheerfully. "Oh, and by the way Finster, did you have any luck in tracing the origin of the message?"

"Not much I'm afraid. All I know for certain is that the signal originated from somewhere in the continent they refer to as North America. However, judging by the language the Red Ranger spoke and the accent with which he spoke it, my estimate is that Zordon is currently residing in the country they call the United States."

"Very good Finster. I suspected Zordon may have implemented some sort of signal blocking device. Hmmmm. Finster, call Goldar. I have a plan."

-x-x-

Jason, Trini, Zack, and Kimberly were all seated at their usual table at Ernie's Gym and Juice Bar, enjoying Ernie's new tropical drinks.

"So what do you guys think?" the rotund bartender asked as he walked by.

"Good stuff Ernie," Zack replied, "But I have to ask, what exactly is a pamango?"

"It's kinda like a mix between a coconut and a mango. Kinda ridiculous huh? It almost sounds like some made-up fruit on a TV show or something."

"But it tastes good and that's all that matters," Jason said.

"Mmmm, you got that right Jase," Zack exclaimed after taking a large sip of his drink.

As Ernie walked away to help some other customers, Billy scrambled in to the Juice Bar looking both excited and exhausted. Under his arm he was carrying a large wooden box with a lock on it. Judging by Billy's tight grip on the box, one could assume that its contents were either very valuable or very important.

"Guys, I've got a surprise," Billy said as he sat down with his friends. Billy wasted no time listening to the others' responses; he quickly undid the lock and opened the lid of the box, revealing five multi-colored wristbands that resembled watches.

"Watches Billy?" Kimberly questioned.

"They're not watches," Billy explained, "They're teleportation devices."

"Teleportation?"

"Yeah. I was up all night examining the consoles at the Command Center when I discovered its teleportation unit. These wristbands are remote devices tied directly to the unit in the Command Center."

"Cool. How do they work?" Zack asked while putting the black device on his wrist.

"Well, using some of the information that Zordon recorded while we were morphed, I was able to link each device to its respective user's brain. In essence, they respond to thought. If you wish to teleport somewhere, simply press the white button on the bottom of the device, then think about where you want to go. The devices also work as communicators. To communicate with someone, think about who you want to speak to and then tap the black button on top. This will page them. When you are ready to communicate, hold down the button and speak into the device. The sound waves created by your voice will be teleported directly to the person or persons you are thinking about. When you are being paged, the device will emit a little six toned melody I made up. You won't be able not to hear it."

"Wow, this is really cool Billy," Jason exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I can't believe you just invented these overnight," Trini said, "You must have worked pretty hard."

"It was surprisingly easy actually. They use most of the same parts as the Command Center's teleportation unit. I just figured they would be useful for our, uh, new job."

"Definitely," Zack exclaimed.

Just then, for the first time, their communicators went off. Jason, Zack, Kimberly, and Trini all looked at Billy confusedly. They were obviously a little unsure about using their communicators. After a quick glance around, Billy spoke into his communicator.

"Yes Zordon?"

"Rangers, please teleport to the Command Center. Zedd has begun his attack."

After stepping into an empty hallway, the five Power Rangers teleported away in five different colored streaks of light.

-x-x-

Goldar was miserable. The cause of his misery was boredom. Lord Zedd's plan, though intelligently crafted, left little room for enjoyment. Of course, had Goldar been human, Las Vegas would have been the ideal place for him to spend an afternoon. But Goldar was anything but human, and the words Las Vegas meant about as much to him as peace and kindness.

Goldar had been ordered by Lord Zedd to go down to this city and cause some chaos. But there were rules, and it was these rules that caused his boredom.

"Do not kill too many people, Goldar," Lord Zedd had said. "Capture as many as you can and teleport them here so we can convert them into Putties."

This part was not so bad. Lord Zedd had not forbidden him from killing some humans, he just wanted more of them to be converted into Putties. The part of this mission that Goldar despised was that he had to remain in his human form the whole time. Goldar could not understand why Lord Zedd would send him to earth in his weaker form, though Zedd had explained to him that he did not want to reveal everything to the Power Rangers just yet. He wanted Goldar's true form to be a surprise.

Goldar hated his human form. Aside from it being horrendously ugly, it was also weak and very fragile. In a way, though, he enjoyed the anger he felt at his master's rules. Goldar had learned long ago that the best way to release anger was through violence, something he excelled greatly at.

This revelation gave Goldar a sense of belonging and importance, so much so that he continued his onslaught with renewed vigor. A few more decapitations and everything would be alright.

x-x-x-

"What's wrong Zordon?" Jason asked.

"Rangers," Zordon began, "Lord Zedd has begun his attack. He has sent Goldar, his top general, to the city of Las Vegas in an attempt to draw you out. Goldar has already slaughtered dozens of civilians and captured countless more to transform into Zedd's Putty Warriors."

"What's a Putty Warrior?"

"A mindless husk of flesh, bone, and clay imbued with superior strength and stamina, controlled only by Lord Zedd himself."

"We have to help them!" Kimberly exclaimed.

"I'm afraid that is impossible. Once the transformation has begun it cannot be reversed. Your top priority now is helping those in Goldar's path of destruction. Move quickly, Goldar will not cease this onslaught until you confront him. May the power protect you."

Jason looked at his four friends, the fear evident in his eyes, searching for reassurance. What he saw was the same trepidation that was consuming him from the inside. "You guys ready? It's morphing time!"

x-x-x-

As Goldar stared into the cold, lifeless eyes of his latest victim, a feeling of jealousy overwhelmed him. "No, not jealousy," he decided. He could not determine what he was feeling, but it was something akin to antipathy. Happiness was an emotion unknown to Goldar, but to these humans it was as illustrious as the sun itself. He hated them for it.

A loud whooshing sound deterred Goldar from his thoughts, and when he broke the stare with the severed head, he saw his reason for existing. Five multi-colored, armor wearing, Power Coin wielding humans. The Power Rangers.

"Power Rangers," Goldar bellowed, "You have the ability to end this carnage. Surrender the Power Coins now and this will be the last of your kind to die by my hand," Goldar said as he held the decapitated head high for the Rangers to see.

"Not a chance Goldar!" Red Ranger shouted. "You can tell Zedd that the Power Coins do not belong to him!" Jason was trying to sound tough, but at that moment he felt anything but intimidating. Goldar was huge, easily the biggest man Jason had ever seen, and he was covered in blood and other components of the human body that are meant to stay inside. The worst part, though, was the area in which Goldar stood. Freshly slain corpses littered the street and sidewalk, along with multitudes of severed limbs and gory entrails. Judging by the scattered body parts, Jason guessed that Goldar's favorite method of execution was decapitation.

"Very well. But I promise you, you will all fall by my sword." The severed head Goldar still held in his hand began glowing, and with enough force to crumble a building he threw it at the Rangers. The head exploded, sending the rangers flying backwards. Once recovered, the Rangers looked to where Goldar was standing, only to see him vanish in an explosion of golden light.

x-x-x-

"Oh my god," Kimberly groaned as she emptied her stomach on the Command Center's floor.

Sitting on the floor, her head hanging between her knees, Trini said quietly, "I can't believe anyone could be capable of something like that."

Billy felt the same way, and though usually loquacious, he could find no words to express his disgust and indignation. He wanted to hold Trini and tell her that everything would be alright, but he knew she would not believe him. He just stood there, speechless and afraid.

"I can't believe he defeated us so easily!" Jason smashed his fist on a computer console to emphasize his anger. "We weren't prepared for this! We had no idea . . ."

Zack's face was blank. Where usually there stood a broad smile, capable of brightening anyone's day, there was nothing. His eyes, glazed over, stared off in the distance at something that was not there. Zack was far away, not paying any attention to what was happening around him, and then he was back, his eyes shifting to Zordon's tube. "This doesn't make any sense Zordon. Why would Goldar kill all those people and then leave as soon as we show up?"

"He's insane!" Kimberly screamed.

"I don't think so. Don't you think it's weird that he didn't even attack us?"

"What do you mean he didn't attack us? He threw a god damned exploding head at us!" Jason exclaimed.

"Chill out Jase, and just listen. That was not an attack, it was a warning. He threatened to kill us, hurt us a little bit, and then left. Why didn't he try and finish us off right then and there? I get the feeling that Zedd is planning something."

"Maybe he was just sizing us up, trying to test us," Billy suggested.

"No, if that were the case he would have given us a chance to attack. He still has no idea what we are capable of. Any ideas Zordon?"

"I am afraid not Zachary. I do agree that this confrontation was most peculiar. Perhaps the location of the attack holds some significance."

"Las Vegas is a densely populated area. Maybe the goal of this attack was a high casualty count. Maybe Lord Zedd wanted to frighten you," Alpha suggested.

"That makes sense," Zack said, "But I've got a feeling it's a lot more complicated than that."

x-x-x-

"All right Finster, what have you got to show me?"

"My lord, though the computer is unable to trace the origins of the Ranger's teleportation, it is able to detect when the teleportation is triggered. Using the computer, I was able to time the length of their teleportation from their base to the city. Then, as the Rangers teleported away, I determined the speed at which they teleport. By multiplying their speed by the amount of time it took them to teleport, I figured that their distance from the city is roughly four hundred miles. Which direction, however, is anyone's guess."

Lord Zedd pondered over this information for a moment, then sent a servant to summon Darkonda. A minute later Darkonda sauntered into Finster's lab, a devilish grin on his face. "You called, my lord?"

"Darkonda, you are an excellent strategist. Tell me, where would Zordon set up his base of operations?" Zedd handed Darkonda a map that displayed the information Finster had discovered, and Darkonda studied it for a short while.

"It is difficult to say," Darkonda said almost teasingly. "North seems unlikely, and south is out of the question. That leaves just east or west. Both locations hold different advantages. If he is to the west, that would put him on the coast of this landmass, which means that an attack can only come from one direction. If he is to the east, he would be in the center of this continent, making it easier to dispatch the Rangers to different locations. You just have to ask yourself, is Zordon more defensive or offensive?"

"Enough games Darkonda!" Zedd shouted while reaching out and grabbing Darkonda's throat. "East or west?"

"West my lord. Definitely west."


	5. The Calm

The Calm

High block. Turn. Punch one, two, three. Turn. Roundhouse kick low, middle, high. Flaming skulls. Pools of blood and human viscera. Inhuman laughing, laughing, laughing.

Jason was on his back, cold sweat dripping off of him, his kata - for all intents and purposes - finished. He could not remember falling, so he assumed that he must have blacked out. It had been a week since that first devastating attack and his mind would simply not let him forget what had happened.

"_It sucks," _Jason thought, _"That the only thing I can think to do to calm my nerves doesn't seem to work." _It had been a tough week for Jason. His memories of the attack were vivid, but the dreams were the worst. His dreams differed from what actually happened, and usually featured a continuation of the onslaught Goldar had started -- but continued by his friends and fellow Power Rangers. The thought of his friends betraying him like that scared him worse than he had ever been scared before because it was a thought that had never occurred to him. Zedd seemed pretty powerful, and Jason did not want to put past Zedd the fact that he may be able to corrupt his friends' minds.

The dreams were recurring, but the whole blacking out thing was new. Jason warned himself to be careful; he was lucky that this time he had blacked out on a mat in the Youth Center. It could have happened in the street or somewhere else where he could have been hurt.

Jason had never been a very emotional person; his study of martial arts had always provided for him an outlet for his feelings, but all his training and studying did not seem to be helping him now. He felt like crying, like being sick every time he thought of what had happened. The only thing that kept his sadness in check was an overwhelming need for violence. He almost wished Zedd would attack again so he would have something to hit. He knew it was unlike him to be thinking this way, but his kata had failed to lift his spirits and drain his anger. He needed something solid to hit, something living. The Youth Center would be sponsoring a martial arts competition in a few days, giving Jason the perfect opportunity to do so.

Unfortunately, Jason was not the most affected by Zedd's recent attack. Kimberly had barely spoken a word since the incident, and never about how she felt. Other people were completely clueless as to what she was going through, but Jason could see it in her eyes. There was pain, _tons _of pain, and grief. Her friends could see this, but only Jason could see that hidden behind these emotions was an anger so potent, so seething that it almost made him afraid to look at her. Somehow the old saying _If looks could kill_ did not seem to do justice to Kimberly's countenance. It was as if her expression would not merely kill you, but rend your soul from your body and utterly annihilate it.

The other Rangers were similarly, though not so drastically, affected. Billy had reverted to his old introverted ways, burying himself in work and studies. His tendency to use unnecessarily complicated words and sentence structure, which had over time been replaced by a more relaxed and understandable dialect, was making a resurgence.

Zack's good humor seemed to dwindle more and more with each passing day. He had originally tried to make light of the incident in hopes that he could set an example for his friends by not allowing it to affect him, but his jokes were both ill conceived and received. They were half-hearted at best, and anyone who actually knew Zack could tell that his wit was forced.

Trini, on the other hand, appeared to be coping better than the others. She seemed to not focus too much on the horrific event they had witnessed, but more on what they could have done differently to ensure a better outcome. Jason remembered a conversation he had had with her earlier about what exactly they had done wrong. In her opinion, none of them had been fully prepared for the devastation and carnage Goldar had created. They had been too surprised, to shocked to react or to attack. Both she and Jason agreed that instantaneous action would be key during the next battle. It would be the only thing they _could_ do.

x-x-x

"_Oh wonderful,"_ Finster thought sarcastically, _"as if my life wasn't unbearable enough, I now have to pay a visit to my old friend Goldar. I wonder what empty threat he'll come up with this time. If he would only leave me alone it would make my job so much easier."_ With great reluctance, Finster pushed open the door to the infirmary and began Goldar's check-up. The instruments attached to Goldar's body showed a fifty percent increase in health since the last scan, which had been several days ago.

"My my my. Goldar you seem to be healing quite nicely, though if you had heeded my advice you would not have been injured in the first place," Finster stated with a slightly arrogant grin.

"Listen to me you smug little rodent, you are beginning to try my patience," Goldar growled. "If Lord Zedd were not so convinced of the importance of your presence on this ship I would have surely slit your throat by now."

"Yes, but had you not gone and used your magic in your human form like I had advised, you would not be sleeping in the infirmary and thus proving my importance to Lord Zedd."

"You little . . ."

"Get some rest Goldar. In a few short days you'll be as good as new, and then you can slit my throat. That is, if you think Lord Zedd would let you live after such a treasonous act." Before Goldar could reply Finster was out the door, a satisfactory smile spreading across his furry face. Goldar was all talk; he would never betray Lord Zedd. At least, that's what Finster hoped.

That was a worry for another day, however, as there was still much work left for the little Elvin man. "Hmm, what's next on my list? Putties? Oh how absolutely dreadful. Why Lord Zedd would resort to such a humiliating tactic is beyond me. Oh well, better to get it over with I suppose."

Directly across the hall from the infirmary was one of the ship's many brigs (the largest, in fact), and it was there that Finster's latest task brought him. Unsurprisingly, the moment the door opened he was faced with an onslaught of verbal harassment. "Let us out of here you fucking little weasel" was the one that stood out the most.

"Now now, hurling insults will no more ensure your survival than pleading or bribing. For what it is worth I am terribly sorry for what I am about to do. I cherish all life, including humans. Unfortunately, my master does not feel the same way." Remorsefully, Finster pulled a large lever on the far wall which caused the occupied glass tank/prison to begin filling with a thick green liquid. "It won't hurt, I promise!" Finster said sincerely, though he understood his sincerity would serve as little consolation to the humans who would soon be, for all intents and purposes, dead. This was the worst part of Finster's job, as far as he was concerned. He could tolerate the terrified look of a creature locked in a box; for all they knew they could be released or escape somehow. But the screams, the piercing wails emitted by someone moments away from death, they got to him. Every time he watched a living creature die, watched its eyes go cold and its breath grow shallow, he was reminded of just why he was serving Lord Zedd.

Finster was always a creature of science. He served under numerous presidents as the Head of Science on his home planet of Muranthias. He was surely gifted, but he had always used his gifts to help people; he made clear to every new president that he would take no part in the development of weapons, though he certainly could have contributed greatly to that department. Then one day Lord Zedd came to Muranthias, and along with him, bloodshed. The attack was unwarranted and one-sided. Finster, his wife Zartha and daughter Kili were hiding in the Presidential Palace, which was ironically the place Lord Zedd made his first appearance on the planet. Finster and his family were quickly discovered by Goldar and almost killed. But Finster somehow managed to gain the attention of Zedd, and began pleading with him to let his family go. He explained how he was a man of great importance on his planet, a certifiable genius, and could be of great use to Lord Zedd. He pledged his allegiance to Lord Zedd in exchange for his family's guaranteed survival. Surprisingly, Lord Zedd accepted. There was no way to know if Zedd had kept up his end of the bargain; Finster was not allowed to leave the ship under any circumstances, especially not to visit his home world. He could only hope that his family was still alive.

Even after all this time serving on Zedd's ship, surrounded by death and destruction, Finster could not bear to look in the eyes of the humans as their souls, their very humanity, began to leave them. The liquid stole the mind first, then the body. He knew without looking that their bodies were becoming hairless and sexless, their skin losing all color, any and all unique features melting away until each one was indistinguishable from the others. Muscle mass was increased while intelligence was decreased. Strong but stupid, they would now do whatever was requested of them; they were now Lord Zedd's Putties, their minds as easily malleable as clay.

x-x-x

"What have you to report to me Finster?"

"My lord, Goldar's wounds are healing nicely. He should be ready for battle again in a few days."

"Excellent. What of my Putties?"

"Of the fourteen humans Goldar managed to capture, ten survived the conversion. They are training with Darkonda as we speak."

"Only ten," Lord Zedd stated contemplatively. "Inform Darkonda that we attack in six hours. His primary objective is capture. I want at least fifty Putties for our next attack."

Against his better judgment, Finster allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. "My lord, if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to wait so long between attacks?"

"It was Darkonda's idea. He is actually quite brilliant," Zedd stated as if he had finally come to the conclusion. Giving the Rangers time to recuperate will give them a false sense of security. They would expect a second attack soon after the first, but this way we catch them off guard." Lord Zedd had neither ears nor lips, but if he did they would have surely met in one of the most sinister smiles in history.

Finster was, of course, disgusted, but said nothing. He merely bowed to his master and left the throne room in search of Darkonda.

x-x-x

The sunset should have been beautiful; the sun was a giant orange floating in the sky surrounded by varying shades of purple and red. It should have been beautiful, but the colors only reminded Trini of the carnage created by Goldar nearly a week prior. She wanted to purge that memory from her mind forever, but she knew that something so horrific could not easily be forgotten.

"All those people. We should have gotten there sooner, should have done something." For the first time since the attack Trini allowed herself to cry. She needed to be a rock for her friends, needed to be strong. But she was alone now, watching the sun descend behind the horizon, and she wished she didn't have to be so strong. "They think it doesn't bother me. They think the fact that we watched him murder all those people doesn't affect me. They think--." Trini's thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of her communicator. "What is it Zordon?"

"Teleport to the Command Center immediately." Zordon's voice was stern, and that bothered Trini. Without replying back, she pressed the button on her communicator and was gone in a flash of yellow.

x-x-x

"Capture capture capture, hmm hm hmm hm hmm hmmmm." Darkonda was hopping around wildly in his human form, clearly enjoying his mission which was, of course, capture. He did not make the same mistake Goldar had made, however; instead of using his magic to capture humans, Darkonda was using a scepter he had purloined from Lord Zedd. Zedd would have probably let him use the scepter if he had asked, but taking it without asking was sure to make things more interesting. "Don't run away!" he shouted playfully at a man making a break for a car. "Don't you want to be a mindless zombie! No? Well then, you can die." Without much thought, Darkonda jumped on the man's back, pulled out a knife from a sheath on his leg, and slit the guy's throat. As if that wasn't enough, he lifted the man in the air by his bleeding throat and eviscerated him, taking pleasure in the wet plopping sounds his insides made as they hit the ground. When the man was empty, Darkonda looked around for something else to do. He smiled when he saw a Putty dragging two women by their hair toward him.

"Excellent work, Putty!" he shouted. "Now let's see, capture or kill? I can't decide. What do you think Putty?" The Putty stared blankly at Darkonda and uttered something that sounded like an owl gargling mouthwash. "You don't say! Well, I suppose I have captured enough humans, might as well kill some now. Say pretty lady, what's your name?" he asked one of the women lying on the ground that the Putty had dragged over. She was wearing a Stone Canyon High School jersey, and had most likely just gotten out of some type of sports game.

"J-Julie," she managed to say.

"Well Julie, you wouldn't happen to know where the Power Ranges' base of operations is, would you? 'Cause I know it's around here somewhere."

"I don't -I don't -I-I-I don't know."

"Then what good are you?" Darkonda asked with an evil smile and a golden flash of his eyes. He raised his knife above his head and prepared to bring it down, but was interrupted by a loud battle cry as someone came flying at him. The Red Ranger tackled Darkonda to the ground, and the two began rolling around, struggling for dominance. The Red Ranger eventually came out on top with his Power Sword inching closer to Darkonda's throat. Darkonda, of course, could not allow that to happen. He screamed out, "Putties, help me!"

From out of nowhere, Lord Zedd's ten Putties came racing to Darkonda's aid, only to be stopped by the four remaining colored heroes.

"It's just you and me, Darkonda," the Red Ranger yelled while still forcing his blade down. "You've killed enough people today!"

"Oh, I think one more couldn't hurt," Darkonda stated plainly as he forced the Red Ranger off of him with his legs.

"Red Ranger, we need your help," the Pink Ranger shouted. "Ten against four is hardly fair!" She was right; the other Rangers were taking a beating at the hands of the Putties. The Blue Ranger in particular had taken a nasty shot in the stomach from one of the gray warriors and was having difficulty getting to his feet. Somehow though, they managed to keep the Putties from coming to Darkonda's aid.

"I'll be there in a minute," the Red Ranger replied, keeping his eyes on Darkonda.

"In a minute you'll be staring at your guts on the ground," Darkonda growled. He had been in such a good mood earlier, what with all the killing and capturing, but being surprise attacked had ruined it all. He didn't want to kill the Red Ranger for fun, he wanted revenge.

"You're pretty cocky for being unarmed." The Red Ranger stated confidently. Darkonda hadn't realized that in the struggle he had lost both his knife and Zedd's scepter. At this point Darkonda hadn't had much experience with the English language, and was thus not able to express himself properly. If he could have, he would've said something like, "Oh, shit." That is, if the Red Ranger hadn't plunged his Power Sword through his chest.

Darkonda collapsed to his knees, and stayed there unmoving, staring at the gaping hole left by the Red Ranger's weapon. At first he hadn't cared, but the moment his blood began erupting from the newly formed orifice in his chest, Darkonda sincerely wished he had not been forced into using his human form for this attack. The Red Ranger risked a glance at his teammates, who were still struggling valiantly against the Putties, and felt a strong desire to go help them. But he just couldn't be sure if Darkonda was wounded as badly as he looked or if it was a ploy to catch him off guard. So he just stood there, watching the injured warrior, waiting to see what would happen next.

Very slowly, and with great care, Darkonda rose to his feet. Holding his chest and looking directly at the Red Ranger he growled, "You are going to pay. Just you wait." Then, as loud as he could, he shouted, "Putties! Let's go!" Raising his hand to the sky, Darkonda disappeared in a flash, along with the Putties.

The Red Ranger took that as his cue to see how his teammates were doing. Rushing over to them, he said, "Are you guys all right?"

"Yeah," the Blue Ranger said, obviously winded, "Just exhausted."

"Let's get back to the Command Center. We can rest up there."

"That's a damn good idea," the Black Ranger said between breaths. In an instant they were gone, transformed into streaks of light that disappeared into the darkness.

x-x-x

Lord Zedd was not pleased. His plan was falling apart, and through no fault of his own. Two of his most trusted generals were in the infirmary (due to their own stupidity) and would not be able to fight in the next battle. In addition to that, Zedd had requested an army of fifty Putties, but by current count it looked as though he would be lucky to get half that amount. "Half an army commanded by half my generals. This is not going to work." Lord Zedd's thoughts were cut off by the unwelcome appearance of his scientist, Finster.

"My Lord," Finster said weakly.

"What!"

"I've done it. I have found the location of their base of operations."

"Excellent work Finster," Lord Zedd stated, sounding almost not interested.

"Is the attack still planned for tomorrow?"

Uncertainty plagued Lord Zedd like never before. Had his army been as strong as he had intended, he would have quickly answered 'yes' to Finster's question. But with his forces cut in half, he was just not sure if he could win the battle. Postponing the attack was not an option; the Rangers would expect another delay between attacks, which Lord Zedd did not want to give them. But then an idea came to him, and all the uncertainty was instantly purged from his body. "It is indeed, Finster. But first, I want you to contact the Dark Warrior. Tell him I'm calling in his debt."

x-x-x

_Holy hell a new chapter! And a long one at that. Sorry for the wait. I have no excuse. Regardless, please remember to leave some feedback. I really can't wait for the next chapter. Everything is going to hit the fan and it's going to be awesome. Just you wait and see._


	6. Assault Part 1

Assault

Deep in the mountains a solitary figure stands, surveying the landscape before him. He has never been to this region before, and doubts he ever will again. Where he goes he rarely stays; where he goes rarely stays the same. Covered from head to toe in black armor, he stands ready for anything, though he expects nothing to happen. Not yet, anyway.

Surrounded by nature, he is statuesque; the creatures who have made this place their home take little notice of him. He breathes deep of the mountain air, taking no pleasure in the action. His body has long since ceased requiring the use of oxygen, but he is a warrior, and a true warrior uses all his senses to get a feel for his environment. But he is more than just a warrior. He is darkness given life. He had a name once, but like oxygen, he no longer has a need for it. There is no one left who would know his true name anyway; anyone who would remember him is long gone, most struck down by his own hand. He is a forgotten warrior. But he is more than just a warrior. He is the Dark Warrior, and he is ready.

x-x-x

Zack was in a hurry. It was still rather early in the day, but he needed to find Jason as soon as possible. He had been up most of the night thinking about the second battle against Lord Zedd's forces. He knew there was something odd about it (and the first battle too, for that matter), but try as he might he could not figure out what it was.

Grudgingly, he had fallen asleep, and he dreamed about the fight. Naturally, his unconscious mind had distorted and exaggerated parts of it, but one aspect of his dream remained true to reality; he saw a girl, perhaps only a few years younger than him, being dragged around by a Putty. He had helped the girl shortly after Jason had tackled Darkonda, but had thought little of it at the time; she was just another innocent caught in the battle between good and evil. But his energetic mind, drugged by the day's events, would not break its focus on the girl.

In the dream, Zack, as the Black Ranger, was staring at the girl's chest. Absolutely mesmerized, he could not break his gaze even if he wanted to. But this was not a sexy dream; he had had enough of those to be able to tell the difference. There was something on the girl's chest, but Zack's bastard of a brain was obscuring it, blurring it so it could not be seen. As his gaze focused, the blurriness began to fade, and Zack could begin to see the formation of words on the girl's shirt. Dream-hours passed, and finally he could read the words 'Stone Canyon High' printed in big white letters. It was then that he woke up, and the mystery that had been bugging him for over a week was finally solved.

Zack rushed into the Youth Center, hoping against hope that Jason would be there. Jason sometimes liked to do his workout in the morning, and when he did he usually came to the Youth Center to make use of the weight machines. This happened to be one of those days, as Zack spotted him stretching in front of the leg press machine.

"Hey Jase! Man, I've gotta talk to you," Zack said as he ran over to Jason.

"What's up?"

"It's about Zedd," Zack whispered, and the two instinctively moved to the corner of the room where no one could overhear their conversation. "I know what he's planning."

"What do you mean?"

"Just listen," Zack said as he took a deep breath. "Last week after our encounter with Goldar, you remember how I made a big deal about the fact that he didn't attack us and left before we could attack him?"

"Yeah I remember," Jason said calmly, but with a tone that implied impatience. He hadn't agreed with what Zack had said after the attack, and wasn't in the mood to hear about it now either.

"And then yesterday during our fight with Darkonda there were two things I noticed. First, he killed very few people, even though he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. It was like he was restraining himself. He was more focused on capturing people than killing them. Second, he was completely unprepared for your attack, which means he probably would have left as soon as we arrived, much like Goldar did, had you not blindsided him."

"So what does this mean?"

"Okay, look. Zedd captures humans so he can convert them into Putties, right?" Jason gave a slight nod. "So we can definitely conclude that he's building up his forces. But then look at the places he's attacked; first Vegas, then Stone Canyon. He's moved from a couple hundred miles away to a couple dozen. He's been searching for the Command Center, and I think he's found it."

In an instant all doubt left Jason. What Zack said seemed right, though it was a lot to take in at once. He had never entertained the idea that Zedd could find them, and began instantly berating himself for his naiveté. Jason, not the most eloquent of his group of friends, could only express his fear and anger in one word: "Shit."

x-x-x

The diodes flashed like broken Christmas lights as Billy ran a diagnostics check on the Command Center's defense system. The unmarked buttons on the control panel meant nothing to Jason, but Billy had somehow mastered control of the system in the short amount of time since he had become a Ranger. He had already been in the Command Center when Jason and Zack teleported in, indicating he had been spending an excessive amount of time there.

"Jason," Zordon's voice boomed, "I see no cause for alarm. The Command Center is undetectable by all forms of electronic and mystical surveillance."

"Yeah, but there are other ways to find us. I mean, you can see this place from outside if you're looking for it. It's not impossible to find us, you have to admit that."

Zordon thought it over for a minute. He wasn't used to being questioned like this, but he was, however, grateful that his chosen leader possessed the fortitude to do so. "It is . . . possible, yet very unlikely."

"Jason is correct, Zordon," Billy said. "I can see the numerous security devices you have implemented, but they all seem to be focused on the Command Center. With the right technology, I can see how it would be possible to track our energy signatures back to our base of operations."

"How does our defense look, Billy?" Zack asked.

"Well, we have a perimeter of fifteen mid range automated turrets, set at a thirty yard radius from the Command Center. Aside from that we have three high powered cannons guarding the outside entrance. The entrance itself is a heavily fortified blast door that could probably withstand a direct hit from a tank. No single foe could gain access to the Command Center through conventional means and survive."

"What about an army?"

"With enough strength, enough firepower, it could be possible."

An extended silence descended upon the group, as Billy's statement confirmed their worst fears. They had believed, ever since Zordon had recruited them as children, that no matter what the threat, no matter how large the enemy force, they would be enough to stop it. However, due to the passage of time and despite the group's confidence, traces of doubt had slowly spread through each member's consciousness like cancer. After all, how could they believe that they were destined to save the world?

There was no denying their fate now, but given the current situation it looked as if their destiny would be cut short. They had expected a long and arduous battle, spread over months or even years. The fact that they were so unprepared, so vulnerable, was unexpected to say the least.

"So what can we do to fortify the Command Center against an all-out assault?" Jason asked worriedly.

"There is an unused protocol in the defense log," Billy said without taking his eyes off the computer screen. "Project Coin Shield. What can you tell me about this, Zordon?"

Zordon was once again taken aback by the strength and intelligence of his team. Like Jason, he was surprised that Billy had seemingly mastered the Command Center's computer system in such a short time, and had been able to quickly pull up specs on a protocol as obscure as Project Coin Shield. "Project Coin Shield was designed as an energy field that encompasses the Command Center," Zordon said. "Its first function is to scan for signs of life in and around the Command Center. Its second function is to effectively destroy any living being within the scanning area that is not in possession of a Power Coin by way of an unstable teleportation beam."

"Why is it not being utilized?" Billy asked in an almost scolding tone.

"There are a number of reasons why it has not been implemented," Zordon began. "We experienced numerous technological setbacks, and I deemed the project too time consuming to be worth continuing. In addition to this, the field itself is inherently dangerous to the surrounding plant life and wildlife, as well as any humans that could potentially be in the vicinity."

"Billy, how long until you can get this thing up and running?" Zack asked.

"Well, as Zordon said, it _is_ unfinished. I would have to build some--."

"How long, Billy?" Jason said.

"Twelve hours," Billy said with a wince.

x-x-x

"How long has he been at it?" Kimberly asked before taking a sip of her smoothie.

"Almost six hours," Jason said. "He's working really hard to get this thing done."

"I'm sure everything will be okay," Trini said. "I mean, Zedd picks pretty random times to attack, what are the odds that he'll attack before Billy's done?"

"Don't say that!" Zack said a bit too harshly. "You're gonna jinx us!"

"I was just trying to be optimistic," Trini said rather meekly.

"Well try being optimistic without saying anything, okay?"

"Jesus Zack, what's your problem?" Kimberly asked, a look of surprise and disgust on her face.

"My problem," Zack said while standing up violently from his chair, "is that we're sitting on our asses in the juice bar when we should be helping Billy!"

Jason shot out of his chair quicker than Zack had, and his demeanor would have appeared, to one unfamiliar with his mannerisms, to indicate a desire to kick Zack's ass. Fighting Zack was, in truth, the last thing he wanted to do, but the fire in his eyes, his furrowed brow, and his clenched fists revealed that he was ready to do so if need be. "Calm down, Zack," Jason half whispered, half screamed.

Zack stared defiantly into Jason's eyes for a moment, but backed down when he saw Jason's face begin to match the color of his Ranger uniform. Sitting down slowly, Zack hung his head, ashamed at his outburst. "Sorry," he said, then glanced briefly at Trini.

"Zack," Jason said in a considerably calmer tone, "you know we would just get in Billy's way if we tried to help him."

"I know," Zack said quietly and without looking into Jason's eyes. "It's just . . . I feel responsible, you know? I knew as soon as our fight with Darkonda started that something was wrong. If I had figured it out sooner we would have a better chance defending ourselves." If it were possible, Zack's head hung even lower, as if he had just divulged the largest and most embarrassing secret of his life.

"At least we have a chance," Kimberly said comfortingly. "Can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn't figured out Zedd's plan?

"But it still could happen, Kim!" Zack said, his eyes welling up. "That's my point."

It was at this time that Trini, still floored by Zack's explosive outburst, chose to end her silence. "My grandfather used to say that you should always look to the past to learn from your mistakes, but never to regret them. You should see this as an opportunity, Zack," she said, "an opportunity to, first and foremost, help save the world, but also to learn something about yourself. It's difficult to face your shortcomings I know, but you have to remember that we're a team. If you ever feel stuck, if you ever have a problem that you just can't seem to work out, talk to us and we'll help you. I want you to know that no one here blames you for not figuring this out sooner; as Kimberly said, we're all just glad you figured it out in the first place."

"That's right," Jason said as he affectionately slapped Zack on the shoulder.

"Mmm hmm," Kimberly agreed.

"Thanks," was all Zack could say.

x-x-x

The Dark Warrior was an exceptional combatant, his status almost legendary. Rumor spread across the universe that he had single handedly taken down the entire army of the Cimmarian Planet for no reason other than boredom. This was, of course, greatly exaggerated. The truth had snowballed, and as it passed from mouth to ear repeatedly it gained both speed and mass. There were few who knew the truth of what transpired that day, because there were few who survived to tell the tale. The Dark Warrior had not, in fact, defeated the entire army single handedly; he had been hired by the Varox to lead a team to incapacitate the Cimmarian Planet so that it might be easily conquered. The Cimmarian army _had_ been defeated, but afterward the Dark Warrior had, for reasons known only to him, murdered every member of his team. The Varox were, naturally, furious when they found out.

A price on his head, the Dark Warrior had come to Lord Zedd for help, and Zedd had agreed. For a price.

Lord Zedd wondered, not for the first time, if calling in the Dark Warrior's debt was a decision he had made too hastily. The warrior would complete his mission, of that Zedd had no doubt. But given his extraordinary abilities and legendary viciousness, Lord Zedd wondered if utilizing the Dark Warrior was not overkill.

"My Lord?" Finster said, stepping into Zedd's view. "My Lord, the Dark Warrior is ready."

"Too late now," Lord Zedd muttered.

"What was that my Lord?" Finster asked.

"Nothing!" Zedd roared. "How many Putties do we have?"

"Twenty three," Finster said fearfully.

"Send them all down with Zeltrax and Ecliptor," Zedd said. "I want this finished as soon as possible."

"Right away, my Lord."

x-x-x

The klaxon blared like an annoying alarm clock and echoed off the domed ceiling of the Command Center, making it exceedingly difficult for Billy to concentrate. He was ahead of schedule, but that didn't matter since the enemy had clearly arrived. The easy part was over; he had written and installed the necessary software into the computer system, all that was left was the hardware, much of which he had to invent on the spot.

The other Rangers teleported in moments later, and the five of them stood huddled in front of Zordon's energy tube. Jason was the first to speak. "Are they here?"

"Yes," Zordon said sullenly. "Zeltrax and Ecliptor are leading a small army of Putties. But there is . . . something else. A dark area in the environment. A presence I cannot detect. Remain alert during battle."

"Okay," Jason said resignedly. "Billy, you stay here. Get Coin Shield up and running as soon as possible. Kim, Zack, you have the long range weapons, so I want you two to take the high ground. Try not to directly engage the enemy if you can help it. Trini, you're with me. We're gonna take them head on. We can do this, guys," he said softly.

"Keep us updated, Billy. It's morphin' time!"

x-x-x

_Author's Note: It's been a while, but I'm back with some new stuff. The conclusion to this story arc ended up being about twice as long as usual, so I'm splitting it up into two parts. Part 2 should be coming soon, and it is really action packed. Don't miss it!_


	7. Assault Part 2

Zedd's army wasn't as big as the Red Ranger thought it would be, but it was still an army. And with the team one Ranger short, he knew it was going to be a hell of a fight. The biggest surprise was Zedd's generals. They weren't . . . human. He had seen Goldar and Darkonda, and though they had possessed abilities above and beyond any normal human, they at least looked the part. Zeltrax and Ecliptor though, they looked like walking, talking, lethal statues. It was unnerving for the Red Ranger, who was used to seeing his opponent's eyes as he fought. A person's eyes can tell you a lot, including what their next move might be. Zeltrax didn't have any eyes that Jason could see, and Ecliptor's were just glowing red orbs.

The battle did not begin immediately. The Red Ranger stepped atop one of the turrets and prepared to give a speech to the enemy. _"Fifteen turrets and only four are in a good enough position to fire on them. I guess I could ask them to spread out a bit,"_ Jason thought, and chuckled to himself. "I suggest you leave," the Red Ranger said to the generals. "Only beings possesing Power Coins can enter the Command Center without being destroyed." It wasn't true yet, but Jason figured he'd give it a shot.

In unison, Zeltrax and Ecliptor shouted "Attack!" as a response, and their voices sounded as if they had been created by audio equipment rather than organic tissue. The Putties rushed forward in odd, jerky movements that almost looked like a choreographed dance. An instant later the automated turrets opened fire. The spray of laser fire lasted only a few seconds, but in that time every single Putty hit the dirt. Though they were hit numerous times, Ecliptor and Zeltrax appeared unharmed; in fact, they didn't even move an inch as the laser rounds struck their heavily armored bodies. Together they raised their swords, and blue and green electricity began erupting instantly from them. The bolts danced around for a moment, then reached out and struck the still firing turrets. The four turrets exploded with concussive force and Jason, who was still standing atop one of them, was thrown back nearly twenty feet.

The Red Ranger, with the Yellow Ranger's help, staggered to his feet and watched as all but a handful of the Putties rose from the ground and continued their approach. "That didn't work nearly as well as I'd hoped," he said. Together they rushed forward, weapons drawn, to meet the Putties head-on.

Jason hacked and slashed at the things, but they just wouldn't go down. He tried kicking and punching, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Worse still, they were incredibly strong. One of them delivered an uppercut that sent the Red Ranger into a backward somersault through the air and then onto his back. More Putties were on top of him in an instant, but before he could raise his sword in defense, a flurry of glowing pink arrows rained down on the gray creatures. "Thanks Kim," Jason said into the intercom inside his helmet.

"Any time."

The Yellow Ranger was having slightly better luck than the Red, only because she had fought the Putties before and knew how they moved. She was able to avoid most of their strikes, and counter-struck as much as she could, but it wasn't really doing any good. Every time she knocked one down, it got right back up again. She kept fighting though, keeping low and always moving. The gray soldiers were slow, and it was difficult for them to land any blows if she kept moving. It was a real mess though. She had spun around and rolled on the ground so many times she wasn't even sure which direction she was facing. She caught a glimpse of the Black Ranger firing his axe/cannon from the peak of a large rock formation, and was grateful for his assistance; despite the enhanced abilities given to her by the Power Coin, she was growing tired.

x-x-x

"If I wasn't so scared out of my mind right now I'd say this was fun," the Pink Ranger said without a note of amusement in her voice.

"I don't know. It's like shooting fish in a barrel, except the sons of bitches keep getting back up!" the Black Ranger said as he fired a series of rounds from his cannon.

The two stood on opposite ends of the battlefield atop craggy rock formations that overlooked the whole fight. Kimberly was providing cover fire for Jason as best she could, while Zack did the same for Trini. They were facing a similar problem as the Red and Yellow Rangers; the Putties just would not stop. A few had been taken out completely by the turrets, and Kimberly and Zack had dropped another handful between the two of them, but that still left about sixteen or seventeen standing, and the Rangers still had no idea how to stop them for good.

"You're right," the Pink Ranger said. "This is just getting irritating. Why don't we shoot at _them_?" she asked, indicating they fire at Zedd's generals.

"Nah, better leave well enough alone. They'd probably respond back, and I actually prefer not getting shot at." When Kimberly failed to respond to his quip, Zack looked across the valley to her vantage point, only to see her hovering several feet above the ground, her back facing the battle. At first the Black Ranger was confused, but then he saw that she wasn't actually hovering; if he tilted his head a certain way he could just barely see the outline of some shadowy figure lifting her up by her throat. It took a moment for his brain to process what he was seeing, and in that moment the shadowy figure released his grip on the Pink Ranger's throat, dropping her off the edge of the cliff.

x-x-x

Billy was working faster than he thought he was capable of. Wire stripping, soldering, reinforcing, he was doing it all without really even thinking about it. He knew what needed to be done and had simply let his instinct take over. Alpha had offered to help numerous times, but the truth was Billy was quicker and, if possible, more knowledgeable than the automaton.

The Command Center was quiet save for the muffled sounds of battle coming from one of the viewing screens. Billy could hear the fight, but didn't pay it much attention. That is, until he heard Jason's distressed voice.

"Alpha, Kimberly's down. Teleport her inside now!"

Kimberly instantly appeared in a flash of pink light on a med table in the Command Center. "Aye yi yi," Alpha wailed. "Kimberly is seriously injured. The impact actually caused her to demorph."

"Is she going to be all right?" Billy asked, ceasing his work on the computer console.

"She needs time to recuperate," Alpha responded.

"Listen to me Alpha," Jason said, "Do whatever it takes to revive her. We need her back out here as soon as possible. Whatever it takes. Billy, suit up. We need you now."

"I just need a few more minutes, Jase. I'm almost finished."

"We don't have a few minutes!"

Without saying another word, Billy grabbed his morpher and shouted "Triceratops!" and then joined his friends in battle.

"Aye yi yi, Zordon," Alpha said. "Kimberly has suffered major internal damage. The med table can heal her, but it is going to take time! What do we do?"

"The Red Ranger is correct," Zordon said. "Expedition is of the utmost necessity. I will infuse her with some of my own trans-dimentional energy. It should make her well enough to fight."

"But Zordon, couldn't that cause even greater long term damage?" the automaton queried.

"Only if kept unchecked," Zordon replied. "Hurry now, Alpha. There is precious little time." The little robot did as he was told, connecting wires and cables from the med table to the base of Zordon's display tube. Having been in the presence of humans for only a few short weeks, Alpha still remained ignorant of much of humanity's cultures and customs. Were that not the case, he surely would have crossed his fingers.

x-x-x

"Zack, I need you down here. You're not doing any better up there than we are," the Red Ranger said.

"On my way."

The Putties had driven the Rangers back a considerable distance, and they were now only fifty feet away from the Command Center's entrance. There were about half as many Putties as when the battle started, but it didn't seem to make any difference. They were persistent, warriors through and through, and they never tired. The Rangers, on the other hand, were exhausted. With the four of them on the ground, however, they were able to hold their own against the undead soldiers. Billy's Power Lance was proving effective as a way to keep the enemy from advancing; it's long length allowed the Blue Ranger to strike from a relatively safe distance. Zack, on the other hand, was having significant difficulties with his Power Axe. It was short and stubby, and it forced him to get up close to the enemy to be of any use at all. Consequently, one of the creatures was able to grab him by the shoulders and throw him backward into the mass of Putties.

"Jesus Christ, these things are like zombies," the Black Ranger said as the Putties gathered around him. "They just don't stop coming." His teammates said nothing as they wrenched the warriors off of him. He had landed on one of the dead Putties, and as he got up he looked down at the thing sprawled on the ground beneath him. Its head had been split open, probably by the Red Ranger's sword, and green, putrid fluid had pooled around it. "Wait a minute," Zack said contemplatively He thought back to the beginning of the battle, to the initial barrage of fire from the turrets, and remembered seeing several of the Putties getting hit in the head. Those were the ones that didn't get back up.

"Guys! Hit them in the head. That's how to kill them!" the Black Ranger said.

The other Rangers listened, and quickly the battle began to turn sides. Jason slashed, Trini sliced, Billy stabbed, and Zack hacked, and soon all the Putties were down for good, leaving the Rangers, panting heavily, standing defiantly in a "V" pattern like a flock of birds, facing Zeltrax and Ecliptor.

The two generals slowly stepped forward, their footfalls matching each other. They raised their swords in tandem, and the weapons began glowing. Blue and green electricity shot forth from their blades, striking each Ranger directly in the chest and sending them all flying backward.

The Rangers slowly got to their feet as Zedd's generals continued to advance, weapons raised high. The swords began to glow again, and just as the four Rangers prepared for another devastating blow, the Pink Ranger flew through the sky and shot off a single pink arrow. The arrow sunk deep into Zeltrax's shoulder, causing both generals to stumble back in an identical fashion.

"Kim!" the Yellow Ranger shouted. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the Pink Ranger said as she landed, though her voice sounded weak and strained.

"Billy," the Red Ranger said immediately, "Get back to the Command Center."

"Right," the Blue Ranger said, then teleported away.

It was difficult for the Rangers to tell, but Ecliptor and Zeltrax, having recovered from the Pink Ranger's assault, looked more than a little upset. As one, the generals thrust their fists out in front of them and bowed their heads. "They seem to act as if they are one being," the Yellow Ranger observed.

A moment later things began to change. None of the Rangers could have explained what was happening because their human brains could not correctly process what was going on. The sunlight began to grow heavier, colors changed shape, the sounds of nature changed colors, and so on. But most importantly, Zeltrax and Ecliptor began to vibrate. Faster and faster they vibrated until an unseen force struck both warriors on opposite sides, causing them to crash into each other. But they didn't bounce back after the collision; whatever force had pushed them together continued pushing, and their bodies started fusing together. A minute later the two generals were gone, and in their place was a single being, twice the size, comprised of gray, green, and black armor, and holding the largest sword any of the Rangers had ever seen.

"Trini," the Black Ranger said, "no more talking."

x-x-x

Billy, still fully morphed, was at the computer console within milliseconds of teleporting back to the Command Center. "How is it coming along, Billy?" Alpha asked.

"Almost done. Almost done," Billy said, treating the phrase as if it were a mantra. He was existing in that blissful period just before a scientific accomplishment is achieved, except it was less blissful than it was nerve-wracking. Just then several large booming sounds could be heard coming from the outside wall of the Command Center. "Are they all right?" Billy asked without lifting his eyes from his work.

"That did not come from the other Rangers," Alpha said, sounding a bit confused.

"He's here," Zordon said ominously.

x-x-x

"Rangers, scatter!" the Red Ranger shouted. "Attack it from all sides." It was a good plan, but unfortunately it did not work. Zack attacked from the left, and the Ecliptor-Zeltrax amalgamation backhanded him away. Trini Attacked from the right, and it kicked her away like a soccer ball. Kimberly attacked from behind, only to strike nothing but air. Jason attacked head-on and the thing took the hit, but then delivered a massive blow with its own sword to the Red Ranger's midsection. All of this occured as one fluid movement, all in the blink of an eye.

Regrouping, the Rangers were forced to backpedal as the behemoth lunged forward. The Pink Ranger fired off a handful of arrows, but they simply struck the creature and fell to the ground. The Black Ranger tried the same thing with his cannon, but the energy blasts just dispersed harmlessly across the thing's armor. "Now what?" he asked rhetorically.

"Don't let it reach the Command Center," the Red Ranger shouted. "Whatever it takes!"

The thing swung its sword around in one giant arc aimed at the Rangers' heads, and all four somehow managed to dodge the surely lethal blow. At the end of the sword's arc was a massive stone wall that the creature had apparently not seen, as its enormous blade sunk a good three feet into it, as if the wall were comprised of nothing more than cork. The behemoth made no attempt to dislodge its weapon, simply abandoned it without a thought and continued its pursuit of the Rangers.

It was impossibly fast for its size; its legs were like tree trunks and each hand could probably easily wrap around a human waist. It reached out with one long arm and seized the Yellow Ranger by the head, then swung her around and slammed her into the Pink and Black Rangers. Throwing the Yellow Ranger to the ground like a rag doll, the monster fixed its eyes on the Red Ranger who stood before him defiantly, sword in hand, ready to fight.

x-x-x

The booms continued to grow louder and more frequent, and were soon replaced by a series of explosions. "Those were the entree way cannons," Alpha said fearfully. "Someone is trying to get in."

"Are the others okay?" Billy asked.

"They are fine for now, but aye yi yi Billy you have to hurry!"

"Almost done. Almost do--." Just then the outer door came crashing to the floor as it was knocked out of its groove in the ceiling, and the Dark Warrior came sauntering into the main area of the Command Center. Billy, still working on the computer console, was forcefully yanked from his work and flung across the room by the Dark Warrior. Now demorphed, Billy's lifeless body remained partially propped up against the back wall.

"Zordon?" the Dark Warrior said, and his voice sounded like metal scraping against metal. "Look what has become of you."

"Dark Warrior. Working for Zedd now?" Zordon asked.

"Just paying back a debt. Though if I had known you would be here, I would have come anyway."

"He didn't tell you?" Zordon asked, slightly amazed.

"I didn't ask," the Dark Warrior responded. "I thought you were dead."

"And I you, brother," Zordon said.

x-x-x

"It's finished," was Billy's first thought as he opened his eyes from the far side of the Command Center, and for a moment he was excited. But then he saw the black adversary standing at the front of the room. It was having some sort of conversation with Zordon, and hadn't noticed Billy beginning to move again. "It's finished," he whispered to himself. "Just have to push the button."

x-x-x

"I am not your brother!" the Dark Warrior shouted.

"Listen to me Barinthus--"

"Do not think that because you speak my name I will hesitate to kill you! I will not," the Dark Warrior said. "Nor will I hesitate to kill him," he said as he reached down and grabbed Billy, who had army-crawled across the floor to the computer console. "One of your precious Power Rangers, no doubt. Tell me Zordon, for I seem to have forgotten; how much blood do these creatures hold in their bodies? Let's find out"

The Dark Warrior held Billy by the back of his neck like a dog, high above the ground. "The button," Billy thought. "It's right below my feet." He struggled, squirmed around as the Dark Warrior brought his dagger to Billy's throat. He kicked and kicked as his vision began to darken, found the console, and stomped on as many buttons as he could. The lights in the Command Center went out, and everything was quiet.

x-x-x

The Black, Pink, and Yellow Rangers laid huddled on the ground in heaps at the monster's feet. The creature held the Red Ranger high in the air, one enormous hand wrapped entirely around his waist, the other drawing its massive sword back for one final blow. The Red Ranger, barely conscious, was at least aware enough to realize that if he didn't act fast he was done for. As a last ditch effort, he thrust his Power Sword at a gap between the creature's chest and head armor. He made contact, and the thing cried out in pain, but didn't loosen its grip even a little. Instead, it drew its sword back again and began to swing it forward. But just then the ground began to vibrate, and a deafening humming sound began emanating from the Command Center.

The thing slammed Jason against the ground and then clutched both sides of its head where ears would normally be. The sky began to turn purple and the humming grew louder and louder still. A beam of light shot straight up into the sky from the roof of the Command Center, then grew and extended outward, encompassing everything within a hundred foot radius of the Command Center. Then just as suddenly as it began, everything stopped. The purple sky reverted back to blue, the bright light faded, and the shaking ground grew still. Jason was the only one to see this happen, just as he was the only one to see the monster that had very nearly ended his life evaporate into billions of microscopic particles.

"He did it," Jason said weakly, then lost consciousness.

x-x-x

_**Please remember to leave a review, let me know what you think. You know you want to.**_


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